Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35802403›Full record

ArticleJMIR research protocols2022

Tuberculosis Treatment Compliance Under Smartphone-Based Video-Observed Therapy Versus Community-Based Directly Observed Therapy: Protocol for a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial.

Ponlagrit Kumwichar, Virasakdi Chongsuvivatwong, Tagoon Prappre

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in JMIR research protocols, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
0.5field-weighted citation impact, top 37% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 5 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Trial
  2. Effectiveness of centralized hospitalization treatment on transmission in household contacts of pulmonary tuberculosis patients: a contact-traced study.European journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases : official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology · 2025
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Ponlagrit Kumwichar *Epidemiology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai District, Thailand.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1580-5720
Virasakdi Chongsuvivatwong *Epidemiology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai District, Thailand.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9850-4463
Tagoon PrappreEpidemiology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai District, Thailand.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7131-2675
Prince of Songkla University · TH

Funding

TB/MDR-TB Research training and Capacity Strengthening for LMIC in Southeast Asia Phase II: Promotion of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)D43TW009522 · FIC · PRINCE OF SONGKLA UNIVERSITY · PI Virasakdi Chongsuvivatwong · 2015 to 2026
$3.0M
FIC NIH HHS D43 TW009522
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe health care system in Thailand has struggled to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in decreased administration of community-based directly observed therapy (DOT) for tuberculosis (TB). As an alternative to failed DOT, video-observed therapy (VOT) or the Thai asynchronous VOT system, "TH VOT," was devised. We developed a protocol for a study to test the superiority of VOT over DOT in ensuring treatment compliance.

objectiveWe aim to compare the mean cumulative compliance days of TB patients and their observers under the VOT program with that of individuals under the DOT program during the intensive phase of TB treatment.

methodsA cluster randomized controlled trial of pulmonary TB patients and their observers will be conducted over a 2-month period. This study will be conducted in the Hat Yai and Meuang Songkhla districts of Songkhla Province, Southern Thailand. A total of 38 observers working at 38 primary care units (PCUs) will be randomized equally into VOT and DOT groups. The TH VOT system will be implemented in 19 PCUs in the VOT group while the other 19 PCUs will continue with the traditional DOT program. Approximately 1-5 TB patients will be under observation, depending on the PCU jurisdiction in which the patients reside. The inclusion criteria for TB patients will be as follows: patients diagnosed with newly active pulmonary TB with a positive acid-fast bacilli sputum smear, aged >18 years, own a smartphone, and are able to use the LINE (Line Corporation) app. The exclusion criteria will be patients with a condition that requires the intervention of a specialist, rifampicin resistance according to a cartridge-based nucleic acid amplification test (GeneXpert MTB/RIF), unable to continue the treatment, and/or alcohol dependence. After the 2-month observation period, all sessions and follow-up clinical outcomes recorded will be retrieved. An intention-to-treat analysis will be performed to assess the compliance of both patients undergoing drug administration and their observers.

resultsThe Human Research Ethics Committee, Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University approved the trial on February 19, 2021 (approval number 64-03618-9). The trial was funded in May 2021. The recruitment period will be from January 2022 to July 2022. The observation is scheduled to end by September 2022.

conclusionsIf the VOT shows superiority in observational compliance among patients and observers, the existing DOT policy will be replaced with VOT.

trial registrationThai Clinical Trials Registry TCTR20210624002; https://www.thaiclinicaltrials.org/show/TCTR20210624002. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/38796.

Indexed as

digital healthhealth care systemlung diseaseobserved therapyrandomized trialtelehealthtelemedicinetreatment compliancetuberculosisVDOTvideo-enhanced therapyvideo-observed therapyVOT

Identifiers

PMID35802403
PMCPMC9308080
OpenAlexW4283072248

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.